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Last Friday, six nations signed a pledge launching the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF). Indonesia, the Philippines, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Malaysia each agreed to protect the Coral Triangle, a region spanning 1.6 billion acres, half the size of the US.
The Coral Triangle contains some of the world’s richest marine biodiversity with over 500 species of coral and 3,000 species of fish, including important spawning grounds for tuna. Five of the world’s seven marine turtles also nest in the region.
The agreement was signed at the World Ocean Conference in Manado, Sulawesi. The nations plan to work together to better manage fisheries, establish marine protected areas, protect endangered species, and work on plans for adapting to climate change.
Although the agreement is non-binding, conservation organization reacted generally positively, seeing the commitment by the six nations as an important step toward protecting the Coral Triangle.
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